About Sabine

Sabine first came to Scilly in 1994 for a holiday. At the time, she had a job in London and immediately fell in love with the islands. “My job involved a lot of travelling and I was ready for a lifestyle change. It was not always easy, but I never regretted the move. The islands just have something spiritual.”

After some thoughts about what to do, Sabine finally bought a business in 1997 and moved here in 1998. Initially running a successful nursing home for 10 years, she applied for a change of use planning permission to create a guesthouse – a time when care in the community was seen as a better option for the elderly rather than nursing home care. Isles of Scilly Country Guesthouse opened in 2007.

Kaffeehaus first opened in 1998, in the back garden of the nursing home, with a trolley at the back door. Sabine loves food, especially Apfelstrudel, and always thought she could offer something different for visitors. The cafe grew year by year and in 2003, she finally built the conservatory next to the suntrap garden.

In time for the 2017 season, the guesthouse was converting into two self-catering units, hosting 13 guests in total. The Kaffeehaus remains on site, still in the conservatory with its sun-trap garden! And now in Hugh Town, Sabine also runs a bijou cafe right on Town Beach called Strudel in Town.

Sabine adores Scilly’s natural environment – the nature, the air, the skies, the beaches, the sea. “I just feel at ease with myself. Even after a long day, when I go down to Bar Point or Pelistry Beach, all the worries and stresses of the day vanish and I can be myself again. I still enjoy travelling and visiting foreign countries immensely, but nothing like coming home. Setting foot on the island and breathing again. We are all very fortunate here and have to make every effort to keep the islands at their best.”

The only thing that Sabine misses is touch of culture – trips to the opera, exhibitions, the cinema etc, but she plans for all that when she goes to the mainland or to Germany. “I also miss different restaurants and Italy. I love to go to Italy and enjoy their hospitality – and gorgeous food! I miss the Alps in Bavaria, the woods and little streams to hike and skiing. But it can be good to miss something some of the time – then I enjoy it more when I can get it!”

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